THE MOMENT
"What's so important in Clockwork City?" Justice finally built up the courage to ask Aurelio about three blocks after they'd entered the city. They weren't close by any means, and he easily intimidated her. But, they were on the same team, and she was making an effort to be friendly. He mentioned he was coming to the city and asked if anyone wanted to tag along. When no one else did, Justice took it as an opportunity to befriend him. She had her own reasons for wanting to visit, and had planned to in the near future. But, since he was going, she joined him.
"Important? Nothing," Aurelio shrugged. "I've been making a weekly run here for supplies, so I'm just stocking up."
"Stocking up?" Justice asked. "If it's not important, why did it have to be during the Pineapple Cup?" She pointed through the windows of a shop next to them. A large TV was on inside, and everyone was eagerly watching the match.
"Why not? We're not playing," Aurelio shrugged.
"One of the teams is going to be our opponents, shouldn't we watch them?"
"What for?" Aurelio chuckled. "The Honeybees aren't a match for us, and the SD Valkyries aren't a match for them. We're golden," he said.
"I don't know..., they added a new member right at the last minute...," Justice replied.
"Yeah, I know," he nodded. "It's not like Ms. Sharp to make a late adjustment like that; but, I managed to scope out some practice sessions. Jenny, the new girl, is completely useless as an Engineer. It's like she's never played the class before. And, since I'm the best Engineer, it also is not an issue," he grinned.
"Besides," he changed the subject, and she was fine with that. He'd already made up his mind and she wasn't trying to convince him;she was only curious. "What'd you come for?"
"Support?" Justice shrugged with a sigh. "I thought you were going to into the dungeon and didn't want you doing it alone...,"
"Oh," Aurelio said suddenly as he stopped walking. He took a glance around, admiring the sunny day. Despite the gorgeous weather, he and Justice were among the dozen or so pedestrians moving outside. Everyone else was inside. Every shop had a TV and every TV was showing the Pineapple Cup. He'd been there every week for the past couple of months, but this was the first time he'd noticed it so empty. It was easier to appreciate the polished chrome and gears that made up the city. They were walking along the main road at the street level; but, neon lights from the underbelly poked through gear teeth and shadowy corners, only to disappear in the daylight. He looked up at the distant floating islands and finally smiled.
"On the one hand, I'm pretty insulted you thought I'd need your support," he said. "On the other hand, you had a good idea. I was just coming for what I needed, but almost everyone's watching the match right now," he met her eyes with a nod. "So, since it's what you came for anyway, wanna do a dungeon?" he asked. "It's probably pretty empty."
"Just us?" she asked. Aurelio nodded.
"You're on Gravewatch. More specifically, you're good enough that Oren and I thought you belonged on the team," he chuckled. "Besides, I don't actually need your help. It can just be me if you're not up to it. You can go watch the match instead."
"Uhhh.. which one are you going to?" Justice asked.
"It doesn't matter, they both have drops I can use. Do you have a preference?" he asked. It was the reason she'd really tagged along, and she wasn't going to miss the opportunity.
"I need to kill a neon dragon?" she asked, not wanting to impose. She'd told herself she'd go along to be friendly, and try to steer him toward the Neon dungeon if she had a chance. But, she was still uneasy without Oren around.
"Then, let's head down to the underbelly," Aurelio nodded and started walking with Justice close behind.